Welcome to SHEQEL - The Online Catalog of Israel Numismatics 1927 - present. The publication of this catalog is a culmination of a lengthy period of research and information gathering. We are pleased and proud to present to all collectors of Israel numismatics worldwide the only English-language comprehensive Israel numismatic catalog in the world.

The last time an Israel numismatic catalog was published, was way back in 1988, when the late Sylvia Haffner edited the fourth and last edition of the legendary numismatic masterpiece "Israel's Money and Medals", in two printed volumes. This numismatic reference book, and many others, have been consulted extensively when compiling SHEQEL - The Online Catalog of Israel Numismatics 1927-present.

When you read these lines, the catalog is still being built, and several pages are not ready yet for publication on the web. But we are working hard, and more pages are added as they are ready. Our mailbox sheqel@sheqel.info is always open for your remarks about errors and omissions, and suggestions for improvements.

This work has been accomplished using a multitude of sources and resources. Moreover, much assistance was rendered by several fellow collectors of Israel's coins and currency. At the end of this catalog you will find a detailed bibliographical list, as well as names of persons who provided me with invaluable information.

The title of SHEQEL - The Online Catalog of Israel Numismatics 1927 - present, and its logo, reflect both modernity and antiquity.

The Sheqel is the currency of the State of Israel, and also one of the world's most ancient means of payment, dating from the 19th or 18th century BC, when - according to the Bible (Genesis 23:15) - Abraham bought the Machpelah Cave in present-day Hebron for 400 Sheqalim.

The Hebrew characters used in the catalog's logo are part of the paleo-Hebrew alphabet. The oldest known examples of the use of paleo-Hebrew script date from the 10th century BC, and were found respectively at Tel Zayit and Gezer. The characters used in the catalog's logo are from the famous Gezer Calendar, discovered between 1902 and 1907. Even though the use of the paleo-Hebrew script steadily declined as from the 6th century BC onwards - in favor of Aramaic - until its complete demise around 135 AD, the coins of the Hasmonean period (140-37 BC), the First Judeo-Roman War (66-70 AD), and the coins of the Bar Kochba revolt (132-135 AD), continued to be inscribed with legend in paleo-Hebrew.

The Roaring Lion motif on the 5 Lirot banknote (1958) and 5 Lirot trade coin (1978) dates from the 8th century BC. The story of this intriguing and mysterious piece of Holy Land history is told elsewhere in this catalog.